TRC Childrens Version

Chapter Two:

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Sierra Leone was created to give everyone a chance to tell what happened during the war, to record a full and impartial history, and recommend specific steps that should be taken to help people recover.By recording the experiences of the war, the report of the Commission can create a common bond and bring the people of Sierra Leone together. Once these stories are written down, the whole country can begin to understand how to prevent war from happening ever again. People in other countries will also gain from the wisdom and insight of the peace-loving people of Sierra Leone. The final report of the Commission is long and complicated. It has seven volumes and each volume has several chapters. Many people worked very hard for more than a year to prepare it.

But the purpose of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission – to tell the stories of the war and to bring peace and reconciliation to the country – cannot succeed without the help of children. Over the last 30 years, there have been more than 25 truth commissions in different countries around the world. Each truth commission has recorded the misery and sorrow of oppression and war. The Commission in Sierra Leone has added a new dimension to these efforts. Never before have children played such an important role in the truth and reconciliation process.

One reason that children have been so involved is that they were deliberately targeted and suffered so much during the war. According to submissions to the Commission, some 7,000 children were forced to join armed groups or forces, and thousands more were targeted for abduction, rape, murder and mutilation. Schools and hospitals were destroyed. Villages and homes were burned. Children witnessed these atrocities. That is why the Commission has made a special effort to speak with children and make sure their stories become a part of this report.

How was the Truth and Reconciliation Commission created?
When the peace agreement was signed in Lomé, in 1999, the people of Sierra Leone decided to create a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. But then the war started again. When the war finally ended, in January 2002, everyone agreed that a Truth and Reconciliation Commission was needed. The people wanted a full and impartial record of the war. They wanted to tell their stories, so that the truth would be known and everyone could settle their differences and agree on how to bring peace to the country.

The official report of the Commission includes recommendations to the government and to others in the country, and to the international community. The recommendations call for the reform of government institutions and an end to corruption. Many recommendations advise on how to improve the living conditions of people and communities particularly affected by the conflict, to ease their sense of injustice and give them more reason to look to the future and forgive the sufferings of the past.

The recommendations also advise on specific help or “reparations” for the people who suffered most and lost most during the war. Although what happened cannot be undone, these steps will help people recover, and create a more stable society for the future. When the Parliament adopted the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act in 2000, they made sure that the children of Sierra Leone were not forgotten. They drafted special rules to make sure that children’s stories would be included in the Commission’s report.

Event in Freetown marking the launch of
the Truth and Reconciliation proceedings

How is the Special Court for Sierra Leone different from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission?
The Special Court for Sierra Leone was created in 2002 to bring to justice those most responsible for crimes committed during the war. The Special Court is a court with prosecutors, defence lawyers and judges, who make decisions about the innocence or guilt of specific persons accused of crimes. The Court also decides on the punishment for those who are found guilty. Although the Special Court has the authority to prosecute anyone over 15 years of age, the Head Prosecutor of the Special Court decided very early that children under 18 years of age would not be prosecuted by the Special Court.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission does not judge the innocence or guilt of anyone. It does not give out punishment. The job of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is to record a full and impartial history of the war. This helps people understand what happened during the war and who was responsible. The Commission also makes recommendations to help people recover, reconcile their differences, rebuild their lives and society, and prevent future wars from occurring.

How did the Truth and Reconciliation Commission collect information about the war?
The methods used by the Commission to collect information about the war included statement taking, closed and public hearings, expert submissions, and ongoing research and investigation. Children participated in all these activities. Statements were taken over four months, from December 2002 to March 2003. The Commission had ‘statement takers’ in all the districts of Sierra Leone, and they collected testimonies from as many people as possible. Over 300 children gave statements.

On the basis of their statements, some children were invited to testify in hearings that the Commission held in all the districts. The hearings that children participated in were closed to the public and strictly confidential. The hearings, both public and private, continued over five months, from April to August 2003. There were also thematic hearings in Freetown. For two days, beginning on 16 June, the Day of the African Child, and continuing through 17 June, thematic hearings focused on children. Child representatives and child protection agencies and orga izations spoke directly to the Commission, giving advice on what should be done to help the children of Sierra Leone. Many prepared written submissions. Altogether there were 11 submissions to the Commission focused on children, including one prepared by the Children’s Forum Network and one by the Muloma Kids Club from Kailahun. Throughout the process, the research and investigation team travelled around the country to speak with people, ask questions and gather more information
about the war.

How are children involved in the Commission’s report?
In June 2001, there was a meeting in Freetown to plan how the children of Sierra Leone would take part in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

In June 2001, there was a meeting in Freetown to plan how the children of Sierra Leone would take part in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. ideas and also gave a list of recommendations so that the experts would not forget to pay special attention to the best interests of children. After the meeting in Freetown, the Commission spoke with UNICEF and the child protection agencies, and they came to an agreement about how children would be involved in the truth and reconciliation process.

Child’s drawing of a village under attack

The experts agreed that a key task of the Commission was to create a historical record of what happened to children during the war, and to make recommendations for improving the situation of children in the future. It was decided that all children would be treated as witnesses before the Commission, including those who were forced to take part in the war. In this way, children would not be separated into groups of victims or perpetrators. The Commissioners, together with child protection agencies, agreed that children’s voices would be included in the official report through: Statement giving by children;

Special closed hearings for children
Public thematic hearings on children:
Formal submissions by child protection agencies and others, including the Children’s Forum Network;
Research and investigations carried out by the Commission;
A section dedicated to children in the final report.

They took special care to make sure that children would be protected when the time came to record our stories.
The experts agreed that:

The participation of children would be guided by the “best interests of the child”. All children should be treated with dignity and respect, and every child should be protected from further harm.
All participation of children would be voluntary. This means that children and their guardians would decide for themselves whether to give a statement. No child would be forced to speak to the Commission.
The safety and security of child statement givers would have first priority. Children would only give statements in a safe and childfriendly place.
The psychosocial health of child statement givers would be protected, including special care to protect their physical, spiritual and psychological well-being.
Children’s names and identities, and everything the children told the Commission, would be strictly confidential. This means that children’s privacy would be guaranteed. There is and will be no sharing of information outside the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, including with the Special Court
Children could choose to give their statement in the presence of a social worker they know and trust. They could also bring someone from their family. Girls would be interviewed only by female statement takers.

In addition, children should understand why they were invited to speak with the Commission and how their stories would contribute to the report. It was agreed that special care and attention should be given to the experiences of girls.the Commission’s staff and child protection agencies. When the time came to record the statements of children many obstacles had to be overcome. But, in all cases, the best interests of the child remained the first priority.

What is a child-friendly truth and reconciliation report?
The child-friendly version of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report is a shorter and simpler version that children can read and understand. The experts and children who met in Freetown in June 2001 to plan how children would take part in the truth and reconciliation process first recommended that the Commission prepare a simplified version of the final report for children.

The submission by the Children’s Forum Network to the Commission made a similar recommendation. The CFN asked f or a child-friendly version of the report so that children could read and understand it, “as a measure to prevent recurrence of what happened.” The Commission agreed, and it was decided that a child-friendly version of the report would be prepared – with our help! The child-friendly report will make it possible for children everywhere in the country to read about what happened during the war – and help us become the child guardians of peace in our country.

Children of Sierra Leone reaching out for peace